Mayor Tom Koch

Thomas P. Koch took his third oath of office on January 3rd, 2012 at Quincy High School. He was sworn-in as the 33rd Mayor of Quincy in January 2008 following an upset election campaign built around a 20-year career in public service and a pledge to create a more open, efficient and responsive City Hall.

In his first four years in office, Mayor Koch has tackled a series of tough issues head-on, ranging from attacking the city's drug problem to spearheading the largest urban redevelopment project in the Commonwealth. He pushed successfully for an overhaul of the city's financial systems and zoning code, embarked on a major reform of the city's Water and Sewer Department, and brokered an agreement that will save taxpayers and city employees millions of dollars on health insurance costs.

In his third inaugural address Koch outlined an aggressive agenda based around high achievement in education, public safety and economic development.

Thomas P. Koch was born the sixth of seven children to Simone and Richard J. Koch, civic leader and founder of Quincy's "Koch Club."

Mayor Koch graduated from North Quincy High School in 1981 as class president, and went on to start his own business and work in local politics. In 1988, Mayor Francis X. McCauley appointed him director of the Quincy Council on Aging. Soon after, Tom volunteered to become the chairman of the Flag Day Celebration, which continues to be one of Quincy's biggest annual celebrations.

In 1990, newly elected Mayor James Sheets appointed him his top aide, a job that placed the future mayor at the center of nearly every facet of city government. He played a key role in negotiating labor contracts and developing the city's budget, built positive and productive relationships with city councilors and other public officials, and shepherded a series of major initiatives from start to finish during the early years of the Sheets administration. In one early step toward improving the city's appearance and inspiring a new sense of pride in Quincy, Mayor Koch spearheaded the idea that would become "Cleaner, Greener Quincy," an annual volunteer cleanup effort held in neighborhoods across the city.

He realized one of his lifetime goals in 1995 when he was appointed commissioner of the city's Park Department, the title his father held for 25 years. It was no coincidence that in the same year, the city approved its first financing package for park improvements.

Always with an eye toward the city's appearance, Park Commissioner Koch led a major beautification effort that continues today, which includes the decorative banners that hang from the city's light poles, dozens of new plantings around the city's gateways, and painstaking landscaping around public buildings and other important landmarks in Quincy. He co-founded Quincy ArtsFest with the leaders of the Quincy Art Association, and the event is now one of the biggest art shows in the Boston area.

The mayor's life-long dedication to Quincy doesn't end at the office, as he's actively involved in a number of groups and organizations around Quincy, including Sacred Heart Church, the Quincy City Club, and the Quincy Partnership.

Most importantly, Mayor Koch is a family man, raising children in the city where he was born and loves. He married his high school sweetheart, Christine Keenan, in 1990 and they have three children: Cornelius Richard, 14, and twins Thomas Jr. and Abigail, 12. The family lives just two doors down from the Mayor's childhood home on Newbury Avenue in North Quincy.